Texas camps recently honored 17 Camp Legends. I am lucky enough to have been personally influenced by a number of them, most especially my dad Si Ragsdale, Frank and Inez Harrison, and Kitty Magee. My dad shaped me not only as an attentive father, but also as a camp director. I soaked up every word, every gesture—and the motions to …
Talk to your campers about homesickness
Yes, that is what I said! Homesickness is one of the biggest concerns a parent has when discussing sending their camper away to camp. And yes, almost every camper will say that on at least one day of camp she was homesick. But families who sit down with their campers and actually have a conversation about homesickness usually see much …
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Part 2: Manchester
After a lovely time in Edinburgh, it was time for Jeb, Conor, and I to head to Manchester.When we boarded the train in Edinburgh I fell asleep before the train even pulled out and I woke up when we arrived in Manchester. One of the things I was looking forward to the most in Manchester was attending a Manchester United …
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Part 1: Edinburgh
I have finally settled back into the office after a very busy February. February kept me out on the road looking for the best of the best to come be counselors this summer at Heart O’ the Hills. One of the most exciting trips I went on was to the United Kingdom! Wow, what an adventure that was! For me, …
What we *don’t* tell kids about summer camp
Let’s start with what we DO tell kids about camp: It’s fun! You get to ride horses, shoot arrows, swim in the river! You live with other kids your age—like a giant sleepover. It’s a world especially for kids (even the grown-ups are more like cool babysitters than like parents). You get to do lots of things you don’t get …
We <3 Valentine's!
Valentine’s Day is “ancient history” in our fast-paced world, but since it is still The Month O’ Love, I wanted to put in a plug for my favorite secular holiday. I love Valentine’s! I’ve always said that “every day is Valentine’s Day at the Heart O’ the Hills”, and Feb. 14 is just that one day of the year when …
Drinking from the fire hydrant
Whew! I didn’t invent the phrase, but I use it freely in reference to the national convention of the American Camp Association: it’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. So many amazing speakers! So many topics to choose from! So much to learn! We ended up with 10 from here: five Stewart and five Heart representatives. We rented five high-dollar …
On the Road Again
One of my favorite things that I get to do in the off season is go out and recruit our summer counselor staff. This usually takes me all over Texas to different university in search of young women and men (for Stewart) who will make excellent role models for our campers. This year, a special trip has been added to …
2013 Head Staff
The women who make up the Head Staff every summer are a crucial part of our leadership team. They are responsible for overseeing all of the activities here at Heart, coming up with ways to make them new and exciting, helping to carry out evening programs, and ensuring that everything at camp runs smooth and is WAY fun! I am …
Courtesy breeds civility
We had the fun and good fortune of a dinner together with Cristi Lee and her family, and in the course of conversation, Cristi mentioned that she had come across some thought-provoking ideas in her recent reading. One was a quote from Dr. James Dobson, “Manners easily and rapidly mature into morals,” and another from author Sheryl Eberly who says …